Back in the day, the word “lovemaking” had a softer, gentler meaning, which made for some interesting headlines that might raise a few eyebrows in the modern era, but which fit right in to the general shyness of Hoosiers about matters of affection. Also, a few items about the dangers of kicking dogs and the persistence of outhouses on Main Street in Mitchell Indiana.

Well, over time the view about what was considered indecent behavior has changed. In olden times it might have been playing in the orchestra for a saucy production, spitting in the French Lick post office, or wearing too many clothes.

News items from the past about cats and dogs, fingers and toes, and good and bad luck.

Whether it’s an irritable hog, an unjustly imprisoned monkey, or an angry mother, join us for stories of bigger things that bite, and yet another news item about someone with extra toes.

A hodgepodge of special treats including strange animals and their poop, Christmas traditions in Colombia, and Crimes and Misdemeanors in Mitchell Indiana.

We had our own state-sanctioned vigilantes in Mitchell 100 years ago, keeping the roads safe from thieves and lovers, in their endless fight against crime and prurience. Also, a recitation of the the theme song from the cartoon show Underdog, my favorite vigilante when I was a kid.

Highlights from Festival Week in Mitchell Indiana, including the crowning of the Persimmon Queen, the Incredible Shrinking High School Marching Band, and my 50th High School Reunion, are all on deck for this special episode from my home town.

Folks’ favorite vacation activity when I grew up in Mitchell Indiana in the Sixties was staying home. And why not? Here is a comparison of the relative attractions of Mitchell Indiana and Key West Florida.

Back in the day, one of the calls of alarm from parents and educators had to do with the rash of teenagers “going steady”. According to some, the antidote to such activity was to encourage teenage girls to stay home with Mother and listen to old records. Even worse, the prevalence of “petting parties” drew suggestions of armed responses. As always, the local townsfolk were ever vigilant to make sure that nobody had any fun.

Folks were forever reporting someone else’s child to the police as incorrigible back in the day, to no apparent good end, but consternation being the mother of invention, the advent of the automatic spanking machine offered hope for incorrigibility sufferers. Finally, an amusing anecdote about a missing leg.

Marijuana grew wild all throughout the state, but it wasn’t much to write home about. This is a cautionary tale about making sure you have a working air vent if your bedroom is above the living room and your roommate is up late and committed to spending hours smoking Indiana marijuana in order to generate an appetite for fast food.

When I was a boy growing up in southern Indiana, the pool of available friends was sparsely populated, so bad friends were better than none, kind of. In addition, today’s best friend could always become tomorrow’s murder victim. Finally, a note about the beneficial use of wolf pee in the suburbs.

Only four months until the festival! Back in the day it was a long summer waiting for the fall festival. In this episode, some odds and ends about the festival, unusual dogs and exploding pop.

When I was a boy my mother scarred me for life by reading to me the James Whitcomb Riley poem, “Little Orphant Annie”, which was all about the horrible ways little children would die if they stepped out of line. Ah, the days before cable tv.

If cleanliness was next to Godliness, some of us had quite a ways to go on our faith journey in Southern Indiana back in the day. Time to break out those bottles of vinegar and tackle the tough chores.

In a town where you often waited a long time for much to happen, the local police force had to occupy themselves with something, so apparently by silent agreement, folks called 911 to report items that were on par with kittens stuck in trees. Finally a word about the bad news awaiting survivors of suicide pacts.

As we’ve shared before on the podcast, a lot of things we might think of as fun were illegal in Southern Indiana, which may explain why folks got testy with their spouses, relatives and friends from time to time. Join us in reminiscing about the days when swearing was illegal, “provoking” could also get you arrested, and an appearance before the local Justice of the Peace passed for a therapy session.

Just as there were rules against having fun at school dances, we had some pretty interesting dress codes, with punishment for violators ranging from suspensions to getting smashed over the head with a chair. My school’s comparatively liberal policy provided that in temperatures well below freezing, the girls could wear slacks. Join us in reminiscing about simpler conflicts — culottes, sideburns and Nehru jackets — that we could only wish today were our most pressing problems.

As hapless parents in Southern Indiana, we were almost overwhelmed with the number of things that could cause us considerable embarrassment, not the least of which was the chore of talking to our children about the birds and the bees. Starting in the late 1960’s, the school systems tried to come to our rescue by adopting sex education curricula. Those courses turned out to consist of few facts and a lot of throat clearing.